BMEA Conference Programme 2010 

Specifically, the unprecedented agreement calls on the groups to work together to:

–Make the UK and US qualifications for marine electronics installers more alike in order to create an internationally recognized Installation Standard.

–“Europeanize” the NMEA Installation Standard so that it is suited for the UK and the rest of Europe.

–Implement NMEA educational /training courses, examinations and qualifications within the UK.

–Develop joint marketing, training materials and branding of the Installation Standard.

–Participate in each other’s conferences.

Significantly, the marine trade associations also agree to work together to promote closer business relations between the United Kingdom and the United States.

NMEA developed the Installation Standard, which is formally called NMEA 0400, to provide a methodology that yields consistent and professional results in the installation of marine electronics. The voluntary guidelines are published to aid electronics installers, technicians, electricians, surveyors, owners and others who install, service or modify the installation of electronics, electrical systems or other associated peripherals. The intended application of NMEA 0400 is for vessels that will use large and sophisticated systems of marine electronics for communication and navigation purposes.

“This agreement is the culmination of discussions that go back at least two years,” said David Hayden, President and Executive Director of NMEA.  “Our goal is to ensure that the Installation Standard is used properly in the UK by establishing qualifications for the technicians who will use it. The result will be equipment and networks that perform at the highest level possible, adding value and an extra margin of safety for vessel owners.  We’re looking forward to working closely with our British colleagues on a project that will benefit everyone.”

“We are delighted to be able to provide internationally recognised training and qualifications for our members in the electronics sector,” said BMF Director of Business Development Sarah Dhanda.

“Training and professional development have been key objectives for the BMEA over the last three years,” said BMEA Chairman Paul Holland. “Our BMET examination scheme had been well received, but had no training element. Joining forces with the NMEA allows us to offer combined training and certification as well as ensuring that the standards are international. It has been a pleasure working with the team at the NMEA who have been very positive about the project.”

NMEA’s membership is primarily US-based marine electronics dealers and manufacturers, along with boat builders and other companies that provide marine products and services. NMEA created IMEA as a separate trade association. It is dedicated to promoting worldwide training, education, safety and standards for the marine electronics industry.

 BMF is the trade association for the leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry. BMEA, an association within BMF, has a membership that is similar to that of NMEA.

Richard Devereux, RNLI Marketing Manager, Leisure Marine, said, ‘As a charity, the RNLI relies on donations to fund the lifesaving work of our volunteer crew. Our members provide us with a regular, reliable form of financial support that allows us to continue to save lives at sea and plan for the future. I’m very grateful to Icom for their help in recruiting more members and look forward to working closely with them in their role as an Ambassador for the RNLI.’

Ian Lockyer of Icom UK, added, ‘We are really proud to be working with the RNLI in promoting the value of their membership. The maritime market is an important area for Icom and we appreciate and value the hard work and sacrifices that RNLI volunteers make.’

The RNLI’s membership is designed for all recreational sea users, from kayakers, windsurfers and jet skiers to sailors, power and motor boaters. It provides a range of benefits, including: a CD-ROM containing interactive educational programmes on safety at sea, the opportunity for an RNLI SEA Check, complimentary copies of the RNLI’s Offshore and Lifeboat magazines and of course access to Ambassador Scheme special promotions.

For further information on Icom UK products and their links to the RNLI with the Ambassador Scheme, please visit the PSP Southampton Boat Show from 10th – 19th September. Icom UK’s stand is H018 located just outside the Southern side of Ocean Hall.

About the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The RNLI operates over 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 150 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 139,000 lives. The RNLI is a charity registered in England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. www.rnli.org.uk.

At the show Icom UK, will be announcing that it has joined the RNLI Ambassador Scheme, set up by the RNLI to promote RNLI membership and to enhance their links with the marine industry. Icom UK will be working to promote the RNLI’s membership on selected marine radio communication products. To this end, Icom UK will be offering a year’s introductory membership with the purchase of either the IC-M71 VHF, IC-M505 or IC-M603 VHF/DSC Marine Transceiver at the show.

Whatever your marine interest, you can see Icom’s award winning marine radio range, suitable for virtually any marine communication requirement. Icom’s wide range includes buoyant handheld VHF’s, VHF/DSC fixed radios, HF/SSB radios, AIS receivers, marine base stations and licence free walkie talkies. Icom will also be showcasing its forthcoming Class B AIS Transponder, the MA-500TR. You can buy Icom products from the many Icom dealers at the show who will be fully stocked with our range of marine radio products and offers.

To keep up to date with the latest news on the Southampton Boat Show website.

Icom Marketing: marketing@icomuk.co.uk

Both Simrad Yachting and Lowrance are market leaders in terms of product innovation and quality and have enjoyed an ongoing relationship in recent years. “Our previous experience over the last few years of collaboration has shown us that both know-how, reliability and quality, fit ideally to our industrialised production process,” said a spokesman of the HanseGroup.

CEO of Navico, Leif Ottosson, said: “The HanseGroup produces the ultimate in luxury lifestyle vessels, and we are delighted to be able to provide quality products to enhance their offering. Innovations such as the Broadband Radar were immediately recognised as the kind of technology that would enhance the customer experience.

“It is evident that the dedication to quality permeates throughout the entire Group. The chairman of the board, Michael Schmidt, is passionate about the details of the selection of products used in the boatbuilding process and is dedicated to ensuring customer satisfaction from each boat that leaves his shipyard”.

The 2011 RYA Raymarine Yachtmaster Instructor Conference, will take place on the weekend of the 29th of January 2011 in Bournemouth and will see the marine electronics brand supporting the event, which will assist in the provision of discounted tickets to newly qualified instructors. A Raymarine spokesperson will be present at the event to provide an update on the latest developments in marine electronics.

The annual conference attracts more than 250 delegates from around the world, who represent instructors and examiners who run RYA training courses leading to the Yachtmaster Certificate, which covers both on-the-water and shore based training, of which around 75,000 RYA Yachtmaster Certificates are awarded annually worldwide.

Throughout the conference, Raymarine will have technical support personnel available to answer any questions about the range of products available, some of which will be on display at the conference. Raymarine will also be providing lucky door prizes for a few lucky ticket holders.

RYA Chief Cruising Instructor Richard Falk said “The renewed sponsorship arrangement is a great sign of Raymarine’s commitment to RYA training. The sponsorship along with the ongoing discounts available on Raymarine products to RYA recognised training centres adds real value for those involved in the RYA training schemes. We are delighted to have Raymarine involved once again in this great annual event”.

All Endura GPS devices for the UK and the Republic of Ireland will exclusively run Mapyx software.  This new development provides state-of-the-art Mapyx Quo PC software for route planning and map management and Mapyx Quo Mobile for the Endura GPS with comprehensive Ordnance Survey maps for the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Steven Wood, Chairman of Mapyx Ltd, said: “The Mapyx Quo software is the first choice for consumers and professionals alike. We have an impressive user base, which includes walkers, runners, bikers, teachers and the professional rescue services.  Our agreement with Lowrance combines best digital mapping with a market leading GPS device”. 

Mapyx products are highly accredited being used by Mountain Rescue England & Wales and Mapyx is their Official GIS & Digital Mapping Partner.

The Lowrance Endura series consists of three innovative touch-screen GPS handhelds: the flagship Sierra – the most powerful and complete out-of-the-box GPS experience available; the Safari – a versatile navigator for any outdoor leisure activity; and Out&Back – a unit that sets a new standard in affordability and ease of use.

The Lowrance Endura units bring a whole new navigation experience to marine and outdoor enthusiasts, combining touch-screen functionality and quick access buttons for unprecedented ease of use.

“The Endura units are now the most comprehensive handheld GPS devices on the market,” said George Pollard, Managing Director of Navico UK Ltd.  “We teamed together with Mapyx to provide the best solution with detailed on-board mapping, tremendous expansion capabilities and open access to community content, the Endura line is simple to use, robust and extremely versatile. It is equally suited for boating, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, backpacking and geocaching, as well as cycling, off-roading and skiing, among others.”

All Endura devices offer a range of preloaded maps and provide a microSD expansion slot supporting up to 32GB of storage for extra mapping and pictures. 

The popular Ordnance Survey mapping, at 1:50,000 scale, will be available on microSD cards for the whole of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which will fit on a single SD Card.  With the addition of 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey maps and Aerial imagery, the Endura is the ultimate GPS package.

All three models are fully customisable and accept many public domain files and community based content such as GPX trails and general POIs through easy drag-and-drop onto the device memory or microSD card.

Fully waterproof to the IPX7 standard (submersible), the compact Endura series offers a comfortable grip and robust housing with rubberised armouring. The devices measure 130mm x 60mm x 31mm (H x W x D) and weigh just 165 grams without two AA batteries. The units include a high-resolution 2.7-inch (6.8cm) colour touch-screen display, mini-USB port for power and data cables, and two reinforced attachment loops. All models in the Endura line are protected by a two-year limited warranty, and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Price & Availability:

The Lowrance Endura Series of GPS Devices, are immediately available for purchase via Mapyx at www.mapyx.com and will soon be available in leading outdoor retailers.  Prices are extremely competitive, for example the full GB 1:50,000 Map package at RRP £399, £499 and £549 for the Out&Back, Safari and Sierra respectively (inc. VAT), which includes 8GB SD Card, full 1:50k GB Mapping, 1:250k Base Map, Digital Terrain Model, Gazetteer Search Module, Geocaching Module, Quo Mobile software and Quo Desktop digital mapping solution.

Mapyx is the exclusive sole distributor of this market leading product in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

For more information on the complete Endura line and compatible mapping products, visit www.lowrance.com/Endura or www.mapyx.com.

Team Ring has developed three boats which include a 9m RIB, an 8m Ring Ranger hard boat, and a high-performance race boat, which is still under construction. Each boat has been equipped with the latest Raymarine technology, giving the navigators and drivers fast and precise data.  The C90W provides large, clear and easy-to-read multi-function display of a multitude of data from chartplotter to depth, tide and weather conditions to radar and situational awareness.  For fast and reliable comms, the Raymarine 49E ulta compact VHF provides crystal clear audio and is ideal for smaller boats and RIBs.

Despite two of the three Team Ring crew classed as OAP’s – with their birth dates putting them over the “three scrore and ten” total in years – their experience and previous racing success makes them strong contenders for the trophies.  Throttle and Trim Man Mike Ring has competed for over twenty years, and has been successfully building powerboats since the late 1960’s.  Driver Mike Lloyd was National Champion in the 1980’s, and was the force behind the successful resurrection of the Round Britain Powerboat Race.  Youngster among the crew is navigator Andy Crabb, who at just 42, has still managed to notch up over 30 years of involvement with powerboats.

Mike Lloyd of Team Ring Powercraft said “”The support by everyone at Raymarine has been incredible which is so important if Team Ring Powercraft is to be successful in obtaining a Class win in the internationally famous and challenging Cowes – Torquay – Cowes powerboat race this month”.

Icom UK will be supplying the regatta with Icom marine handheld VHF radios, which will be used by the safety fleet and on shore organisers in the management of Ramsgate Week. The radios will be the primary means of communication for the race management team, race control and safety fleet. The Icom handhelds will be used by officials to oversee events both on and off the water, and will also be used to respond quickly and efficiently to any emergencies that may arise.

Organised by the Royal Temple Yacht Club, Ramsgate Week is the third largest international regatta in the UK, featuring about 100 boats from Great Britain and overseas. For more details of this year’s event, please go to www.ramsgateweek.com

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Yamaha’s first ever outboard, the quest is on to find the country’s oldest, greatest, strangest and most interesting outboard engines. Running until 1st September 2010, it is set to be the most inclusive and entertaining exploration of the nation’s engine treasures ever held. There are some fantastic prizes to be won for the best outboards including a new outboard for one lucky winner.

With eight varied categories and a free pair of tickets to the  PSP Southampton Boat Show for the first 250 people to enter, it’s very easy (and very  worthwhile) getting involved. All you need is a privately owned outboard engine. It doesn’t  matter what make it is, what horsepower it is or even how old or rare it  is. All that matters is that you can provide us with a photograph and  some basic details.

From these eight winners, one overall winner will be selected by  the judging panel as the most remarkable find of the entire UK Engine  Quest. The owner of that winning engine will receive the top prize of a  Yamaha outboard of equivalent horsepower. Prizes will be presented at  the 2010 PSP Southampton Boat Show in September, where the champion  engine will be proudly displayed.

Get involved today, enter your engine here (insert link http://www.sportsboat.co.uk/engine-quest)

The winning companies will be announced at the 2010 British Marine Electronics Association Conference will be taking place on Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 at the Portsmouth Marriott Hotel.

Raymarine’s latest range of multifunction displays include the highly popular E Series Widescreen, which has received worldwide approval for design, HybridTouch technology and easy-to-use interface. Also on show will be the C Series Widescreen, offering everything consumers have come to love about Raymarine chartplotters in a widescreen format. Raymarine’s smallest Chartplotter, the A Series is now available as a chartplotter and chartplotter/fishfinder combination in the A50, A57 and A70. For larger boats the G Series and Glass Bridge System offer large displays and Raymarine’s most powerful processors to deliver the best performance possible.

Digital radar technology now makes it even easier to use and see details at a glance with colour screens, and Raymarine has both Digital Radomes and HD Digital Radomes, which are designed for boats that need a radar to run on minimal power and which have limited mounting space. Raymarine’s range of open array radars are available in HD Digital Radar and Super HD Digital Radar, offering enhanced performance and improved range for larger yachts.

The ST70 Plus is Raymarine‘s top of the range instrument and pilot display system.  Featuring large, high visibility LCD images, ST70 Plus offers a new way of displaying and managing data, and is the perfect partner for Raymarine’s multifunction display systems.  The ST70 Plus can be configured as an instrument or autopilot display.  

Managed via a dedicated remote control keypad, the 6.5 inch (164 mm) screen is fully customisable with multiple options for screen set up, colour palette and offers remarkable quality day and night viewing. 

The AIS500 and AIS250 will both be on display at the show.  The AIS500 transceiver allows users to both transmit to, and receive, AIS data to and from vessels in the area, as well as to shore-based traffic centres. The AIS250 receiver allows users to see the position of other vessels in the area, as well as full vessel information. The receiver is able to monitor both Class A and B transmissions at the same time over VHF frequencies.

Raymarine’s range of VHF communication products mean that no matter where you venture you will never be out of reach. If safety products are needed Raymarine’s Cam 50 and Cam100 cameras provide clear visuals of vital areas such as the bow, aft, engine room, or swim platforms.  The images can be displayed anywhere on the boat, using Raymarine’s multifunction displays.  The Raymarine Lifetag Man Overboard System enables quick location and recovery in a man overboard situation, meaning that on a yacht or high speed powerboat, anyone falling overboard will be quickly noticed, located and recovered. 

Anyone wanting to learn more about the latest on board technology will be pleased to know Raymarine can offer help and advice.  The company will be launching its new series of training courses for electronic navigation at the show.  The courses, organised by Raymarine and held across the UK, have proved extremely popular and have led to customer requests for further dates and locations to be organised.  Full details of the courses planned for 2010/2011 will be available at Southampton Boat Show.

NMEA 2000® Characteristics:

• History
• Certification Levels
• Relationship to International Standards

Physical Layer:

• Cabling and Connectors
• Termination
• Power Supply
• Grounding the Network
• Network Size
• General Topology

Key Components of Network

Installation Issues:

• Network Planning
• Power Distribution

Certification of NMEA 2000 Products

How does Can Work

• CAN vs Ethernet

Fees: £150.00

For further information, please contact Ms Catherine Butler, SEDA, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent. E-Mail: c.r.butler@kent.ac.uk.

Introduced by Paul Holland, BMEA Chairman, the Conference will include a number of presentations by distinguished speakers. Among the subjects that will be covered are; ‘Preparation for Bluewater Sailing’ by Jeremy Wyatt (World Cruising Club), ‘The History of Electronic Cartography and its Future’ by Giuseppi Carnevali (Navionics), ‘Digital Radar Processing and the New Low Power Radars’ by Odin Sletten (Navico UK Ltd), and ‘An update on the London Boatshow’ by Andy Williams (National Boat Shows Ltd). Professor W J Mullarkey (db Research Ltd) and a representative from QuinetiQ will also be making presentations discussing the digital processing of today’s radar signals.

After a full day of conferencing followed by the Annual General Meeting, there will be the Annual Dinner which will see four major awards announced:

• BMEA Waterside Dealer of the Year Award sponsored by Garmin UK Ltd
• BMEA Product of the Year Award sponsored by Boating Business
• BMEA Newly Certificated Technician of the Year Award sponsored by Raymarine UK Ltd
• BMEA Lifetime Achievement Award

Ian Lockyer (BMEA Marketing) said, ’From 8th August 2010, our customers will again have the opportunity to choose the ‘Industry’s Dealer’ and ‘Product of the Year’ by simply going to http://www.bmea.org/dealer-and-product-of-the-year-2010/ and voting.  The ‘BMEA Newly Certificated Technician of the Year Award’ will be chosen from a shortlist of newly certificated engineers across the industry. The ‘BMEA Lifetime Achievement Award’ is a new award which will be given annually to someone who we feel has contributed to our extremely vibrant and fast developing industry.’

The Conference is open to all in the marine industry – and is free for up to 2 delegates from BMEA member companies; additional delegates, and non-BMEA members will be charged £59 per person – to include entrance to all the presentations, coffee, lunch and dinner.

Any non-BMEA member interested in attending should contact Tony Johns, Secretary of the BMEA by email secretary@bmea.org.

Deck Seals are designed to enable easy installation of electronics on board, providing a neat and stylish way of passing cables through the decks. The Multi Deck Seal is the latest addition to Scanstrut’s existing Deck Seal range, which launched earlier this year and has passed stringent IPX6 and IPX7 tests to ensure protection from water ingress, even during extreme weather conditions and heavy seas.

The durable Multi Deck Seal has been designed to fit multiple cables up to 15mm in diameter and is designed to save space and installation time.

Unlike Scanstrut’s current Deck Seal range, the new Multi Deck Seal comes un-drilled to ensure a selection of cables can be fitted. The installation process is simple and reliable, requiring a small hole to be drilled through the seal.

Manufactured using marine grade aluminium with a hard finish to resist impact marks, the Multi Deck Seal unit has a waterproof base seal and an aesthetic low profile to prevent those on board from stubbing their toes.

The current Deck Seal range are available in marine grade 316 stainless steel or durable glass filled Nylon. Additional features include waterproof cable routing, an aesthetic dome shape, an outer dome to provide an additional water seal and the option for waterproof installation without removing the connector.

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers).

Visit http://www.twitter.com for more information on how Twitter works and to sign up.

Find the BMEA’s twitter at:

http://www.twitter.com/bmea_uk

It sends data using the widely adopted NMEA 0183 data format so it’s a simple two wire connection to the plotter.  The dual channel design allows continuous monitoring of both AIS frequencies which greatly improves target acquisition capability and it will also decode both Class A and Class B transmissions.  Easy to use, you just hook up to power, the plotter and connect a VHF antenna and you’re up and running with AIS for just £152.59 inc. VAT.

For more complex systems based around the NMEA 2000 (N2K) data standard, Digital Yacht is introducing the AIS200N2K.  This unit provides both traditional NMEA 0183, USB (for PC) and N2K data connections and also features a multiplexer so that traditional data such as depth, position, speed and wind, which is available in NMEA 0183 format, can be converted to N2K within the unit.  This makes it an ideal gateway and interface between the two data formats.  The NMEA 2000 data standard offers faster, more complex networking capabilities and cross platform compatibility with a universal plug ‘n’ play type cabling system. The AIS200N2K is priced at £352.44 inc VAT.

www.digitalyacht.co.uk

Designed as a rugged and essential communications device for the professional, or leisure sailor, the HX851E is also ideal for adventure sport enthusiasts like sea kayakers, jetskiers and other maritime users where safety is essential. The HX851E has a tough die-cast chassis, which is protected by an ergonomically-shaped rubber armour surround with a luminescent glow-in-the-dark gasket.  Should the radio accidentally fall in the water, it not only floats, but a flashing strobe light on the front panel will activate upon contact with the water.  The HX851E is waterproofed to IPX-7 standards (submersible to 1 metre for 30 minutes.); in fact, Standard Horizon is so confident of the build quality that the set is offered with a three-year waterproof guarantee. 

The HX851E keypad has large, easy-to-use keys, with a clear, backlit LCD dot matrix (132×24 dot) display.  This not only shows VHF radio information like channel numbers, transmitter power level, volume, squelch and battery level, but also displays the current GPS position, course and speed over the ground (COG/SOG), waypoint navigation, a compass graphic, and GPS status indicator showing which satellite channels are in use.

Powered by a long-life, 1150mAh lithium-ion battery, the HX851E has four transmit power levels, of 1, 2, 5 and 6 Watts. Using low power transmissions for normal voice calls allows extended usage from a single battery charge.  DSC emergency communications automatically use the highest TX power for maximum range.  Where no charging facilities exist, a dry cell option battery holder, FBA-38, can be used, allowing the radio to be powered by 6 AA dry cells.

The DSC functions include distress calls with designation and position and all ship urgency and safety alerts. It can also transmit individual calls, group calls, position reporting and position requesting. An address book with up to 100 MMSI numbers and alpha tags provides a quick and easy way to select and call common MMSI numbers.

Channel names can be customised to be more easily understood, and the programmable scan, priority scan and dual watch functions mean you are unlikely to miss an important call. A preset key allows the quick selection of the 10 most used channels.

When used below decks or where there is no direct GPS signal, the HX851E can be connected to an external NMEA 0183 GPS source to update the position, conversely it may also be used to provide NMEA 1083 positional information to an external chart plotter or other GPS device.  (The connection for sending and receiving NMEA data is made from the HX851E via its CD-38 charging cradle).

ATIS (Automatic Transmitter Identification System) functionality is supported and can be fully programmed and switched on and off via the front panel.  ATIS is a vessel identification system used on inland waterways in many areas of mainland Europe.

Waterproof, versatile and now with DSC and GPS, the HX851E packs the features you would expect to find on a fixed set into one affordable, and highly portable, package.

How often have you been in the sea and seen the perfect picture opportunity, but the device you have on board isn’t waterproof so you let the moment pass or by the time you’ve tried to carefully get it into the water without getting it wet, you’ve already missed out?

Marine Electronic Services has exactly what you need, the AquaCam.  Housed in a lightweight fully waterproof casing that can be used at up to 45 metres underwater and with a three times optical zoom lens and a colour 2.40” display, it’s the ultimate onboard photo companion.  You can take it for a dip with you or go even deeper and explore what’s beneath.  You don’t ever have to worry again about damaging your camera.  And it’s powered by AA batteries, so you should rarely have any charging issues no matter where you are in the world.

The AquaCam is a 9 mega pixel camera with a zoom capability of 6.2–18.6mm which is the equivalent of 35 – 105mm on a 35mm camera.  It can focus as close as 30cm and has useful modes such as red eye reduction, slow sync and fill in flash.  It also has functions including slideshow playback, smart scene mode featuring portrait, night, sunset, beach, fireworks and candlelight.  There’s a self timer, flash and white balance and with its waterproof casing it weighs 522g.  The camera alone weighs just 110g.

Just imagine the fun you could have with this camera both underwater, in the water and on board without the worry of getting it wet.  Whether you’re diving, simply splashing around or enjoying time onboard you’ll never need to miss a photo opportunity again.

Not only can it capture images it can also be used as a video recorder and voice recorder.  It is compatible with Windows and MAC.  At a fraction of the price of other camera’s on the market it’s a must have at £199.95 inc VAT.  Available at the Southampton Boat Show at stand G093 or online at www.mesltd.co.uk